Wirebound container blank with integral ends and bottom liner



WIREBOUND CONTAINER BLANK WITH INTEGRAL ENDS AND BOTTOM LINER Filed Sept. 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 9* ga m [8 ENVENTOR Jase 0h JWc-Crea ATTOR EYS Jam. 6 1970 J. MCCREA IRANKQWB WIREBOUND CONTAINER BLANK WITH INTEGRAL ENDS AND BOTTOM LINER Filed Sept. 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 c 3867 M U n 28 United States Patent 3,487,970 WIREBOUND CONTAINER BLANK WITH INTE- GRAL ENDS AND BOTTOM LINER Joseph McCrea, Rockaway, N.J., assignor to Stapling Machines Co., Rockaway, N.J., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 16, 1968, Ser. No. 762,261 Int. Cl. B65d 9/16 US. Cl. 217-43 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wirebound container blan-k in which the top section consists of cleats at each lateral edge of the blank with a sheet of collapsible lining material folded into the form of a collapsed Z and being of such length that when pressed downwardly it will line the bottom and two ends of the assembled container, with score lines coinciding with the lower inside corners of the container. An optional separate sheet of lining material is cut and scored to form a double-walled central divider with flaps extending therefrom to line the front and back sides of the container.

This invention relates to a wirebound container blank wherein the top section includes a folded sheet of lining material adapted, when the container is assembled, to be pressed downwardly against the ends and bottom of the container to line them, thus obviating the need for separate container ends.

The conventional wirebound containers in use heretofore have been formed from blanks having four sections or sides, each formed of face material (e.g. slats) with reinforcing cleats staped thereto adjacent the lateral edges of the blank, with the several sections foldably secured together by binding wires extending longitudinally of the blank adjacent its lateral edges and being secured to the several side sections by staples driven astride the binding wires, through the face material and into the cleats.

The opposite end portions of each of the binding wires are formed into loop fasteners which are interengaged at the closing corner of the container when the container blank is folded around to assemble the container.

The container ends are similarly formed of face material with reinforcing battens or liners stapled thereto and are secured to the container by loop fasteners formed at the ends of binding wires stapled thereto, these loops being inserted through notches in the cleats on the front and rear sections of the containers and bent around the binding wires thereon.

The container blanks are customarily formed in a stapling machine in which properly assembled parts are conveyed beneath a transverse bank of stapling units. The container ends are separately formed in the same manner. Thus, the making of parts for a complete container blank requires roughly double the stapling machine usage which is involved in making the four-section main container blank or mat. Moreover, the end sections must be attached to the mat by inserting and bending the loop fasteners, which either involves substantial manual labor or complicated and expensive automatic machinery.

The present invention avoids the aforementioned disadvantages by providing a wirebound container blank which may be formed in a single pass through a stapling machine, and which has an integral, folded sheet of lining material which is readily pressed downwardly into the assembled container to line the ends and bottom thereof, thus forming a five-sided, open-topped container.

3,487,970 Patented Jan. 6, 197.0

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A separate conventional lid may be used to close the container if desired.

An optional, additional sheet of lining material is provided which is cut and scored to-be folded to form a double-walled central divider with integral flaps extending from the edges thereof to line the front and back sides of the container, thus forming a fully-lined container, with a central divider which reinforces the lid against stacking loads.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative wirebound container blank embodying features of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the assembled container formed from the blank of FIGURE 1 showing in full lines the final position of the lining material and in broken lines its position at an intermediate stage in the process of being pressed downwardly toward such final position.

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the blank from which is formed the combination double-walled central divider and front and back liner.

FIGURE 4 is an exploded perspective view of the container formed from the blank of FIGURE 1 with the combination divider and liner formed from the blank of FIGURE 3 shown above the container in position to be inserted within it.

The container blank shown in FIGURE 1 includes four sections--a front section 10, bottom section 12, rear section 14 and top section 16-the first three of said sections being formed of transversely extending slats 18 with longitudinally extending reinforcing cleats 20 secured thereto adjacent the lateral edges of the blank. The top section 16 is formed of similarly arranged cleats 20 with a folded sheet 22 of lining material, such as corrugated fiberboard, secured thereto and extending therebetween.

The four sections are foldably secured together by binding wires 24 extending longitudinally of the blank near its lateral edges and secured to the sections by staples 26 driven astride the binding wires 24 through the slats 18 and the lining material 22 where present, and into the cleats 20. The two ends of each of the binding wires 24 are formed into interengageable loop fasteners 24:: and 24b.

The ends 2011 of the cleats 20 are mitered so that when the container blank is folded around to set up the container, as shown in the lower portion of FIGURE 4, the mitered ends 20a of the cleats on adjacent sides of the container come into snug abutment to form at each end of the container a rigid, rectangularframework of cleats. The loop fasteners 24a and 24b at the opposite ends of each binding wire come into opposition at the closing corner of the container and the loops 24a on the front section 10, being somewhat narrower than the loops 24b on the top section 16, are inserted through the latter and bent around them and downwardly against the front face of the container to secure it in assembled relation.

The sheet 22 of lining material has an overall length equal to the length of the assembled container plus twice its inside depth. As shown in FIGURE 1, it is normally folded into the form of a collapsed Z, with the amount of the overlap between the top and bottom layers equal to the inside depth of the container.

The sheet 22 is provided with two score lines 22a respectively spaced from the inner faces of the cleats 20 at each end of the top section a distance equal to the inside depth. Thus, when the container has been folded to assembled form, as shown in FIGURE 2, the sheet 22 may be pressed downwardly to line the bottom 12 and the two ends of the container, with the two score lines 22a coinciding with the lower inside corners of the container to facilitate its proper bending and positioning. One of these score lines 22a preferably coincides with one of the two folds of the sheet when it is in its original form of a collapsed Z, as shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows the blank from which the optional combination divider and liner is formed. It is a sheet 28 of foldable matte-rial, such as corrugated fiberboard, Whose width is substantially equal to twice the inside depth of the container and whose length is equal to the inside length plus the inside depth of the container. It is provided with two transverse score lines 28a which are spaced from one another a distance equal to the inside width of the container and from the adjacent ends of the sheet a distance equal to one-half the inside length of the container. A longitudinal score line 28b extends between them along the central axis of the sheet and longitudinal slits 28c extend along the central axis from the ends of the score line 28b to the adjacent ends of the sheet.

In the upper portion of FIGURE 4, the sheet is shown in the process of being folded into proper shape for insertion into the container. It is first folded double along the score line 28b, and then at right angles along each of the score lines 28a to form a central, double walled vertical divider 28d, with four flaps 28e extending therefrom to line the front and back sides of the container. The height of the divider 28d is equal to the inside depth, so that when a lid is placed on the top of the container, the lid is reinforced against stacking loads by the divider. The cutouts 22b at the ends of sheet 22 provide slots for locking on lids of the type disclosed and claimed in my copending applications Ser. Nos. 757,554 and 757,555.

When the combination divider and liner 28 is used, the container is thus fully lined to protect delicate contents, such as fruits and vegetables, from bruising or other damage. The flaps 28e may be provided with slots 28 as shown, to enhance ventilation, which is particularly desirable where the container and its contents are refrigerated.

I claim:

1. A wirebound container blank comprising four container sections, including front, bottom and rear side sections, each formed of face material with reinforcing cleats secured thereto at each edge of said blank, and a top section also having cleats at each lateral edge of said blank with a folded sheet of lining material secured thereto and extending therebetween, said four container sections being foldably secured together by a pair of binding wires extending longitudinally of said blank near each lateral edge thereof, said binding wire being secured to sad container sections by staples driven astride said binding wires, through said face material or lining ma- 1 terial where present, and into said cleats,'the ends of the cleats on adjacent sections being shaped to abut one another and form a rigid rectangular framework of cleats at each end of the container produced by folding said blank, the opposite end portions of each of said binding wires being engageable at the closing corner of said container to secure it in its thus assembled relation, and said folded sheet of lining material having an overall length approximately equal to the length of the assembled container plus twice its depth, whereby it may be pressed downwardly to line the ends and bottom of the container, being supported against the inner faces of the cleats at the container ends and against the inner face of the face material on the bottom side section, thus forming an opentopped five-sided container.

2. A wirebound container blank comprising four container sections, including front, bottom and rear side sections each formed of face material with reinforcing cleats secured thereto at each edge of said blank, and a top section also having cleats at. ach la er l g f aid bl nk with a folded sheet of lining material secured thereto and extending therebetween, said four container sections being foldably secured together by a pair of binding wires extending longitudinally of said blank near each lateral edge thereof, said binding wires being secured to said container sections by staples driven astride said binding wires, through said face material or lining material where present, and into said cleats, the ends of the cleats on adjacent sections being shaped to abut one another and form a rigid rectangular framework of cleats at each end of the container produced by folding said blank, the opposite end portions of each of said binding wires being engageable at the closing corner of said container to secure it in its thus assembled relation, and said folded sheet of lining material having an overall length approximately equal to the length of the assembled container plus twice its depth, and being folded into the form of a collapsed Z with score lines respectively spaced from the inner faces of the cleats at opposite ends of said container a distance equal to the inside depth of said container, whereby said lining material may be pressed downwardly to line the ends and bottom of said box, with said score lines coinciding with the inside lower corners of said container, and a separate sheet of foldable material cut and scored for folding to form a double-walled central vertical divider extending substantially the full depth of said container with flaps extending from each vertical edge of both walls of said divider to line the front and back sides of said container.

3. A wirebound container blank comprising four container sections, including front, bottom and rear side sections each formed of face material with reinforcing cleats secured thereto at each edge of said blank, and a top section also having cleats at each lateral edge of said blank with a folded sheet of lining material secured thereto and extending therebetween, said four container sections being foldably secured together by a pair of binding wires extending longitudinally of said blank near each lateral edge thereof, said binding wires being secured to said container sections by staples driven astride said binding wires, through said face material or lining material where present, and into said cleats, the ends of the cleats on adjacent sections being shaped to abut one another and form a rigid rectangular framework of cleats at each end of the container produced by folding said blank, the opposite end portions of each of said binding wires being engageable at the closing corner of said container to secure it in its thus assembled relation, said folded sheet of lining material having an overall length approximately equal to the length of the assembled container plus twice its depth, and a separate sheet of foldable material cut and scored for folding to form a double-walled central vertical divider extending substantially the full depth of said container with flaps extending from each vertical edge of both walls of said divider to line the front and back sides of said container, thereby to form a fullylined, open-topped, five-sided container with a central vertical divider extending substantially to the top thereof to reinforce a lid on said container against stacking loads.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,475,107 7/ 1949 Newsom 22915 3,134,497 5/ 1964 Langey. 3,211,356 10/1965 McCrea. 3,260,396 7/1966 Buch 217-43 RAPHAEL K. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 2173 

